Paper and Pencil Accommodation

caitlinbozarth

Hey guys I am posting this because I have seen some conflicting information and it was stressing me out, so I wanted to share in case it helps anyone else.

This is directly from LSAC: "The shipment of testing materials will include a paper-based version of the LSAT, as well as a paper-based answer sheet which you will use to record your responses. You will not enter your answers on the computer, although the computer is used to set up the live remote-proctoring for the scheduled test session with ProctorU. You will be allowed to write/highlight/underline directly in the test booklet. You will receive instructions with your package regarding returning testing materials."

***Also, make sure the address on your LSAC account matches to where you are going to be taking the exam. I originally had it as my permanent address at home, but I am in college so I had to change it so that the materials were sent to the correct address. (I'm guessing most people were smarter than me and put the correct address, but figured if it helps one person its worth it to remind.

WashingtonDCgal

Hi Caitlin - Thanks for this I've also been looking. I assume the answer sheet is similar to a bubble sheet, correct?

caitlinbozarth

Yes, I believe it will be a scantron (unless you also have the accommodation to put your answers on the test). From what I understood, we will receive more information about the format, rules/regulations, and a tracking number for the shipment as we get closer to the test date. I wish they would tell us sooner lol.

GoingUnder

How did you get the paper accommodation?

Cant Get Right

Y’all should fish up the old pencil thread. Legendary 7Sage post right on par with @Pacifico ’s ‘Logic Games Attack Strategy.’

I don’t care what anyone says, stay clear of Ticonderogas. Sure they stay sharp a little longer than softer leads, but they’re brittle, scratchy, and make a thin, weak mark. Anyway, who needs a long lasting point when you can have 20 in the chamber fired up and ready to rotate in? If you’re concerned with looking fancy, you want Blackwings. Try the Pearl, but the classic 602’s are honestly the best they offer. If you don’t care about appearances and just want the all around best pencil available, you won’t find better than the Staedtler Norica. Both the Blackwings and the Noricas have a soft, creamy lead for smooth action and a rich, dark mark.

Whatever pencil you end up with, it should go without saying that the Palermo long point sharpener is a must.

You also want to think about bubbling strategies. Pencils are fun, but this part is actually quite serious. Bubbling errors happen, and the wrong kind of error—the kind that gets your whole section off a line—can be absolutely fatal. I’m talking dropping an otherwise perfect -0 180 straight out of the 170’s and all the way to the low 160’s. And that’s from a perfect 180. It’s also a very real timing issue. You should expect bubbling to eat about 2 minutes off your clock per section, so it’s an important consideration.
There are three leading theories.
1. Bubbling by question: This is likely the safest for guarding against bubbling errors, but it’s more time consuming, it’s tedious, and it tended to break my rhythm any time I used it. Many people prefer this though, and it’s a viable approach.
2. Bubbling by section. These lunatics wait until they’ve finished the whole section before turning to their bubble sheets to enter in the whole section. Dangers include, but are not limited to, failing to bubble literally the entire section. Some modify this by bubbling at the 5 minute warning. But that can feel like a really overwhelming point in your section to stop testing for 2 minutes, and it absolutely breaks your flow at a really critical point. Not recommended.
3. Bubbling by page turn. This is the one true method for the enlightened paper tester. Work the full Game, Passage, or LR spread, and then bubble the group before turning the page. Very tidy on LG and RC where you’ll be mentally resetting to move to the next thing anyway, and minimally disruptive in LR and often can serve as a good opportunity to take a moment to clear your head a bit and get reset to attack the next spread. Recommended.

caitlinbozarth

@anna.g.velez-1 You can apply for it when you apply for any other accommodation like extra time! I have ADHD and working on paper makes maintaining my focus significantly more manageable. So, I just had my psychiatrist attest to that in my accommodation request.